Beauty and the Beast
by MysteriousZebra
Summary: Crisspez! Sort of a prequel to my other fic 'Spiked'. The story of how Lauren Lopez and Darren Criss got to know each otherbut it does contain other Starkids as well. Also a little Breredith. Sometimes a day that starts off badly can end as one of the best days of your life.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey so this is kind of a prequel to my other story "Spiked". Some people wanted that story to go in the Crisspez direction instead of Laurwalk which I can't do, so this is to satisfy their wishes because I really am so grateful for people actually reading my stuff and i don't want to let people down. It's set while the Starkids are still in college and how Lauren and Darren got to know each other. I'm not sure how long it'll be yet, but there'll definitely be another few chapters anyway. **

**Please review to let me know what you think and if it's worth continuing. x x x thanks**

"Shit,shit,shit" Lauren swore as she looked at her watch and realised she was already running late to class. She leaped out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and her favourite blue hoodie before proceeding in dashing around the apartment in a frantic search for her bag. Finally she spotted it under the sofa and grabbed it along with a pair of scruffy converse as she rushed out the door. She passed her roommate Julia as she sprinted towards the lift.

"I know, I know I'm late and disorganised and I should have listened to you," Lauren groaned in response to Julia's disapproving look.

The majority of Julia and Lauren's classes were the same so Lauren could generally count on having Julia there to keep her punctual, but unfortunately Julia didn't do art literature which inconveniently was always scheduled for early in the morning.

She threw herself into the lift, earning a glare from a tall blonde girl on the phone. Lauren jabbed the button for the ground floor and bent down to put on her shoes while the lift carried her down. Lauren thanked her lucky stars that the lift was even functioning, because that in itself was a rare occurrence and there was many a morning that the girls found themselves racing down the 4 flights of stairs in order to make it to class on time. The lift shuddered to a stop and Lauren shot out before the doors were even fully open. She started to feel a stitch in her side and urged herself to keep going as she tore across campus.

Looking ahead she recognised the arts building and sighed in relief knowing she was almost there. However as she rounded the corner and began making her way up the steps to the main door she ran head-on into a strong body, knocking her backwards down the steps. She felt a dull pain in her head as she slowly tried to sit up. She opened her eyes slowly as she felt a hand on her back helping her.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to come around the corner like that," a male and strangely familiar voice spoke. She finally looked up to see a concerned face, framed by a mass of out of control black curls looking into her eyes.

She realised why she'd recognised him. He was in a lot of her classes, majoring in theatre, like her. His name was Darren. He'd actually been the first person she'd met out of all the people in her year, back in August on the introductory day to Michigan for incoming freshman students. She hadn't really talked to him much since then as they both hung out in separate circles of friends, and she now found herself a little tongue-tied as to what to say to him.

"No, no it's fine it was my fault, I wasn't looking," she stuttered as she stood up slowly, appreciating Darren's strong hold supporting her as she felt the ground beneath her beginning to sway.

"Are you ok? I really am so sorry… do you want me take you back to your apartment… Oh my God, I'm such an idiot! I'm so so sorry," he babbled.

Lauren couldn't help but be a little amused by his panicked, nervous reaction. He seemed genuinely worried and Lauren smiled in an attempt to convince him that she was alright, "I'm fine, don't worry and thank you for the offer but I actually still have to go to my class," she said inclining her head towards to main door, which unbelievably she had still not reached.

"Oh ya … sure," he said slowly, "do you need some help?"

Lauren shook her head and smiled, the ground was no longer swaying and she honestly did feel much better,"its ok, really, I'm fine, it was just a little tumble, I'll survive."

With that, she turned on her heel and began making her way up the steps. She noticed for the first time a guy, with striking blue eyes, who she recognised as Darren's friend , standing there looking unsure of what to do. She focused her eyes on the ground, realising how embarrassing the entire situation had actually been and she was relieved when she reached the door.

"Hey, wait! It's Lauren isn't it?" she heard Darren's voice calling up from the bottom of the steps. Her hand was now on the door handle and she stopped, surprised that he knew her name.

Without turning her head she responded, "Ya, it's Lauren, but I prefer Lo," before entering the building and allowing the door to bang shut behind her.

She slipped quietly into her class, cautious not to disturb the lesson and it wasn't until she reached down to take out her books that she noticed her bag was missing. She sighed as she realised she must have dropped it outside on the steps. That bag contained literally everything, her phone, her keys, her books, her money... She wasn't worried Darren would take anything but the thought of having to go get it from him made her stomach uneasy. Hadn't she already made a big enough fool of herself? Lauren tried to push the thought to the back of her head and focus her attention on the professor but she found her thoughts continually being drawn back to Darren. So much so, that she wondered if there had been any point to her showing up to this class at all.

* * *

Darren watched the door slam shut behind Lauren and blinked, trying to process what had just happened. One minute he had been messing around with Joe and the next he had felt this tiny person collide with him. He remembered looking down and immediately feeling guilty, as he recognised her small frame lying on the ground. She had been the girl he had quoted Beauty and the Beast to on their first meeting months ago. There had been something about her.

He bounded down the steps, worried that she could be seriously hurt. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw her attempting to sit up and bent down to help her. She'd looked up at him as he'd placed his hand on her back. She was so beautiful. He'd always noticed she was pretty but it was only now looking into her large brown eyes he felt something new and he suddenly found himself very self-conscious.

He couldn't even remember what he'd said to her; all he knew now was that he wanted to see her again. Joe coughed near him, bringing Darren back to reality.

"She's totally hot," Joe commented. Darren simply nodded, although in his head he was coming up with a thousand more words to describe how beautiful Lauren was.

"Hey, she left her bag," Darren followed Joe's gaze and for the first time he noticed the beige bag on the ground. He walked over and picked it up carefully and held it in his hands just staring down at it, thinking.

"C'mon Dar, let's go, Brian and Dylan will be waiting for us," Joe was obviously getting a bit impatient with Darren's dawdling and started making exaggerated sighs.

"Nah man, you go ahead, I'll follow on soon." Darren replied. Joe shrugged, "Okay man, see you later then," before heading off across campus towards their apartment block.

* * *

Darren watched as students began to file out the door. His eyes searched for the small brunette but he couldn't spot her. Where was she? By now the stream of students exiting the building had ceased and Darren's heart dropped at the prospect that he might have somehow missed her. He was just about to give up and leave when he heard the door open.

His head snapped up and he couldn't help but smile when he saw it was her. She stopped still and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. Darren pushed away from the steps railing he'd been leaning against. He climbed up the few steps between them to meet her.

"I just wanted to give you your bag," he said quietly holding it out to her.

Her eyes moved from his face to the bag and she took it gratefully, "oh thanks, sorry... you didn't have to wait. I was getting what I missed from my professor."

She moved as if to leave and Darren couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Lo…" She stopped and looked at him questioningly and also touched that he'd remembered that she preferred Lo.

"Do you want to maybe… go get a coffee or something? I think it's only right that I apologise properly for almost killing you." This made her laugh and he was relieved when he saw her nodding "Sounds good, I'd like to get to know Disney quote guy." He grinned at this remark. So she did remember him from that day.

The original awkwardness had disappeared and Darren held out his arm to her. Lauren took it and smiled. As they walked down the steps Lauren felt a cool breeze on her elbow and a stinging sensation. She stopped and twisted her arm around to get a better look. Darren bit his lip as he saw the large hole in the elbow of her blue hoodie revealing a nasty cut. He knelt to get a closer look and gazed up at her apologetically.

"I guess I'll have to take you out for breakfast,lunch and dinner to make up for this," he said.

Lauren pursed her lips cheekily and placed her hand on his shoulder before pretending to sigh in exasperation at the idea, "If you must." Darren smirked at her sassiness and before she knew it he had swept her up into his arms. "Oh there's no getting out of this deal Lo," he laughed.

**Note: all representations of characters are purely for the purpose of the story. **

**Thanks lovelies x x please review x x **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey thanks for the reads and reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter and please keep the reviews coming, I love hearing from you x x x**

A bell tinkled as Darren opened the door of the quaint retro café. Lauren recognised the place as it was very popular among U of M students for its ideal location and affordable prices. You were almost always guaranteed to pass a Michigan Wolverines t-shirt in there, no matter what time of the day you went in.

With his hand resting on the small of her back, Darren guided Lauren to a table at the back of the café where it was a little quieter.

"After you my lady," he said in an English accent as he pulled out her chair for her.

Lauren hid a smile at his cheesiness and played along, graciously taking her seat. She picked up the menu and scanned her eyes over the options. After a few minutes a kind-eyed middle-aged waitress came over to take their order. "And what can I get you my dears?"

"Just a Chai Latte please," Lauren responded with a thankful smile.

"and I'll have the same," Darren added before the waitress had even a chance to turn to him.

The waitress raised her eyebrows and smiled warmly at them before tottering away to get their coffees.

"I don't believe it." Darren said suddenly, raising his head with a surprised look on his face, "this is one of my favourite songs."

Lauren listened, and recognised the song as the 'Time Warp' from The Rocky Horror Show. "Really?" she asked disbelievingly. "What?" Darren responded with a goofy smile on his face, "It's one of my favourite musicals of all time. I mean I know it's completely insane, but that's what makes it so great…. Plus you get to dress up every time you go to see it." At this moment their waitress returned with their lattes and placed them down carefully in front of them.

"I've never actually seen it performed," Lauren admitted stirring some sugar into her coffee, "Of course I know the songs and the general theme of it but…"

She stopped, looking up and noticing that Darren looked as if he'd just been told that chocolate was no longer available in the US. Lauren burst out laughing at the look of utter disbelief on his face.

They spent the next few hours exchanging stories and laughing at one another's embarrassing memories, most of these coming from Darren.

Glancing at her watch, Lauren gasped and leaped up, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry Darren, but I have to go, I have rehearsal." Darren stood up slowly, "Of course," he said understandingly, although Lauren swore she could detect a slight note of disappointment in his voice.

She rooted in her bag searching for some change but Darren placed his hand gently on her wrist, causing her to stall, "hey this one is on me, remember?" he said softly and Lauren felt her cheeks blush red at his touch as she raised her eyes to meet his.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had met this silly, curly-haired guy after almost suffering a concussion. Lauren reluctantly pulled her gaze away from him and bent to pick up the infamous beige bag, which she promised to herself to never throw away.

"Can you wait one minute while I pay and I'll walk you to your rehearsal?" Darren asked.

* * *

Together they stepped out into the street and headed back towards the university campus. Darren looked down surprised as he felt Lauren slip her small hand into his. He squeezed it in acknowledgement and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. When they reached the studio Lauren turned and held out a piece of paper to Darren. He looked own at it confused.

"What's this?" he asked.

"My number," Lauren responded with a giggle and a raise of the eyebrows. Darren smiled, embarrassed at not realising the obvious.

He took the number from her and was once again caught off guard when she leaned up and pecked him softly on the cheek and thanked him. With that she turned and strode off towards the door to the studio leaving a stunned Darren staring after her. He shook his head in disbelief.

"She's something," he said quietly, under his breath to himself, before making his way back towards his apartment. Passing the theatre building, he stopped as he noticed a large poster displayed on the 'Upcoming Shows' notice board. He smiled and decided to make a quick detour or two on his journey home.

* * *

Lauren emerged from rehearsals late with some fellow theatre students, Meredith and Jaime, who she had gotten particularly close with over the past few weeks. She shivered as she felt the night air hit her and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to maintain as much body heat as she could.

Jaime wrapped her arms around Lauren's shoulders, "Lo, you really should start wearing a coat you know," she said disapprovingly. Meredith on the other hand just laughed and flung her arms around both Jaime and Lauren, "Oh but Jaime, it gives us more reasons to have group hugs."

Meredith's apartment was next door to Lauren and Julia, however Jaime's was on the other side on the campus completely and it wasn't long before they had to go their separate ways.

"So Mere how's your little crush on Brian progressing, any nearer to asking him out?" Lauren chanced, giving her friend a knowing smile. Meredith's mouth dropped open and she slapped Lauren playfully on the elbow.

"Ouch," Lauren winced.

Meredith crinkled her eyebrows confused, "Lo, I hardly touched you."

"No, no I fell earlier and cut it," she explained hugging her arm close to her. Meredith stopped and picked up Lauren's arm and let out a low whistle when she saw the cut. "Jeez Lauren, what were you doing today? Practising to become a stunt double or something?" Meredith laughed.

"Nope, just an unfortunate result of me running late as per usual," Lauren giggled along with her.

By the time the girls reached their apartment block they could hardly feel their fingers from the cold and they sighed in relief when they were greeted with a blast of warm air as they opened the main door. They trudged up the stairs seeing as the lift had once again decided to stop working and was now fashioned with an 'Out of Order' sign. Lauren felt the tiredness, resulting from the day's action, catching up with her and looked forward to lounging on the couch with Juls and watching an episode of Gossip Girl. She said goodbye to Meredith and unlocked her door.

"Lo, is that you?" Lauren heard Julia shout from the kitchen.

"Ya, hey Juls" Lauren responded as she entered the kitchen and saw Julia looking at her funny with a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" Lauren asked cautiously.

"That guy Darren called looking for you."Lauren stopped in her tracks and Julia continued, obviously enjoying Lauren's reaction.

"He said you left that in your art literature class," she said pointing at a rectangular book,"but I know he's not in that class with you. Still, I played along, I recognise young love when I see it."

"Julia!" Lauren gasped, mortified. She picked up the book and smiled. It was The Rocky Horror Show script. She opened it up on the first page and found an envelope taped to the inside cover.

Opening it she found two tickets to Basement Arts production of The Rocky Horror Show for the following Sunday night and a brief note:

_To the beautiful girl with the wrecked blue hoodie,_

_Your knight in shining armour will pick you up at 8.00 Sunday night for dinner before we attend the most amazing show on earth. It'll rock your world._

_Darren x_

_PS don't worry about a costume for the show, I'll sort that out._

_PPS I'm still sorry I knocked you over today :)_

**Thanks guys, I hop you liked it. Please continue to review x x **

**Note: all representations of characters are purely for the stories purpose.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey so here's chapter 3, I'll have chapter 4 up later today because they go together. Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the reviews/favourite/follows please keep them coming, I love getting feedback. x x x**

"Hey man have you seen my phone?" Darren asked walking into his living room. He sighed as he saw that Joe was obviously too focused on his video game to hear word he'd just said.

Brian looked up from his perch on the back of the sofa and raised his eyebrows, letting out a whistle.

"Where are you going tonight?"

Suddenly Joe decided to start paying attention and Darren groaned.

"Oh, he's going on a date…. with Lauren."

Brian looked at Darren with a look of concentration on his face, "She's friends with Meredith."

Darren didn't know what to say to this and just stood looking at Brian with a bemused smile on his face. They all knew Brian liked Meredith… when he would finally build up the courage to ask her out, was the big question. Brian's face turned bright red as he realised that he'd spoken the words out loud.

"Well, have a nice time," he muttered returning his focus to the paused video game, willing the characters on the screen to start moving. Joe, who looked like he was refraining from making a smart comment, thankfully held his tongue and threw Brian a remote, "C'mon man, two player. I'm gonna kick your ass."

Darren checked his watch and swore. If he didn't leave soon he was going to be late. He threw on his coat, double checking that he had the tickets for the show and shouted a goodbye to the guys. He grabbed the bag containing the costumes, which he'd borrowed from the theatre department, from behind the front door.

He paused and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. He felt his stomach doing tiny flips and breathed out deeply. Why did he feel so nervous? Normally nothing fazed him, but Lauren…Lauren was different. He wanted so badly to impress her.

He pulled himself together and realised he really was going to be late if he stood in the hall much longer. "You can do this," he whispered under his breath, before opening the door, his heart beating in anticipation for the night ahead.

"Lo, stop fidgeting and stay still, unless you want a hair curler shaped burn mark on your head," Julia stressed, for what seemed like the twentieth time.

Lauren sighed and tried to sit still and instead took to staring intently at her fingernails, which were painted gold. She twisted her hand slightly left and right, watching her nails shimmer and sparkle as light hit them.

"And you are…Done!" Julia announced triumphantly, spinning Lauren around so she could see her reflection in the mirror."

Lauren looked at herself astonished. Her face was framed by soft curls and the glittering gold eye shadow Julia had applied looked beautiful with her mahogany coloured eyes. She smiled nervously at Julia, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks Juls, you've achieved new levels of awesomeness tonight."

"I know, I have, haven't I?" Julia said with a winning smile.

Lauren's face froze as a loud knock echoed through the apartment. Julia jumped up and looked at Lauren with a calm expression on her face.

"You get dressed… carefully, so you don't ruin your hair and make-up. I will get the door and tell him you will be ready soon."

Julia flounced out of the room, closing the bedroom door on her way. What she saw however was not what she'd expected. Somehow Meredith and Jaime had found their way into the apartment and were now standing in front of the sofa facing Darren, who looked unsure of what exactly he'd walked into.

"Hi Darren, Lauren will be ready in a minute," Julia told him, walking into the sitting room. He looked relieved and nodded his head at Julia appreciably.

Jaime, who looked like she'd a million questions to bombard him with, was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Jaims, can you give me a hand with something in the kitchen," Julia asked politely.

Jaime turned, about to ask if it could be done later, but changed her mind when she saw the death glares Julia was giving her. "Am, sure… I guess."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Julia spun around, "don't you even think about interrogating him Jaime," Julia warned in hushed tones.

"Hey, Meredith's in there too! Why am I the only one being warned?" she gasped indignantly.

"Mere won't say anything whereas I know you will."

Jaime pursed her lips, knowing that what Julia was saying was true. "Fine, I'll be polite and not ask anything intrusive. Although you know you're just as interested as the rest of us to know more… and it is only for Lauren's sake so that we could warn her of anything … strange."

Julia wasn't buying any of it and responded with a definite, "no…. and I have no idea what you could be referring to when you say 'strange'. What do suspect? That he's running a secret cult or something?"

Jaime didn't say anything but her face cracked a smile before the two of them broke down in a fit of giggles at the ludicrousness of the thought.

They returned back to the living just as Darren stood up and they turned their heads following his gaze. Meredith was in her element watching Darren's face as Lauren came out. She wore a pretty cream dress, with gold sequins dotted around it creating an intricate swirling pattern. The waistline was synched in, showing off her small waist, with the bottom half of the dress falling loosely, stopping just above the knee. She wore matching gold strappy heels, which was a rare sight; Lauren generally preferring to stick to the comfort of pumps or her beloved converse.

Darren, suddenly feeling a lot better since she'd appeared, walked over to her slowly. He stopped right in front of her, unable to say the right words to get across to her how beautiful she looked.

"You look… gorgeous Lo. I mean… wow."

Lauren blushed and smiled, "Look I even found a plaster to match my outfit, "she giggled holding up her elbow to show him the gold plaster.

Darren laughed, feeling his nervousness fade away. He knew they were in for a special night. They said goodbye to the girls, with Julia remembering to give Lauren her coat and purse as they left.

"Seriously Juls, I wouldn't last a day without you." Lauren whispered to her roommate as she passed her. Julia just winked before closing the door behind them.

**Thanks guys, please keep reviewing x x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay here's chapter 4. I really liked writing this chapter so I hope you like it too! Thanks for reading and please review x x x**

Darren had chosen an Italian restaurant that he knew had an extensive gluten-free menu, to accommodate Lauren.

They were seated immediately and Darren looked across at Lauren, noticing the flickering candle light reflected in her dark eyes. A band played softly in the background.

Her eyes met his, "So, these costumes that we're wearing tonight… I'm curious as to what you have in store for me."

Darren's eyes twinkled mischievously and Lauren's eyes widened, "I'm getting the feeling this show is going to be interesting both on stage and off, " She laughed.

The rest of the meal went amazingly. After dessert Darren excused himself to the bathroom. Lauren looked around, noticing for the first time a couple next to their table. The girl was telling a story animatedly and her date was nodding and laughing at all the right times, however what Lauren noticed was the way he was looking her. It was obvious he was crazy about her and she wondered if the girl realise how lucky she was.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're all having a lovely evening. My name is Darren and I'm going to play a few tunes for you guys." Lauren spun around and her mouth dropped open when she saw Darren on the small stage, where the band had been only moments ago.

He smiled and looked down at her. He began strumming his guitar and Lauren watched as he transformed into a performer. He had an amaxing voice, she knew that much, but what made him stand out was that he sang from his soul with every word holding meaning.

"Alright, so this is my last song… yes I know I've only sung two other songs," he added, "but I'm on a date with a beautiful girl tonight …. so I better get back to her before she starts to wonder why I've been in the bathroom so long" he smiled and his eyes met Laurens and he started playing his guitar softly while still talking.

"Lo, I hope you like it…" he said with a note of sincerity in his voice.

"_There you see her  
Sitting there across the way  
She don't got a lot to say  
But there's something about her  
And you don't know why  
But you're dying to try  
You wanna kiss the girl _

Darren stepped off the stage and weaved slowly around the tables, his eyes on Lauren. He stopped next to her.

Yes, you want her

(he nodded enthusiastically and Lauren blushed)

Look at her, you know you do  
It's possible she wants you, too

(He raised his eyebrows questioningly, and Lauren gave him a smile)

_There is one way to ask her  
It don't take a word  
Not a single word  
Go on and kiss the girl…_

…_You've got to kiss the girl  
Why don't you kiss the girl  
You gotta kiss the girl  
Go on and kiss the girl"_

Lauren stood up and, leaning up kissed him softly on the lips. He responded immediately wrapping one around her waist, his other hand still held the guitar. They pulled apart and looked at each other.

"You never mentioned you played the guitar," Lauren accused mockingly.

"Well, then it wouldn't have been a surprise"

* * *

They left the restaurant hand in hand, heading back towards the theatre. Opening the door Lauren looked around at all the people in costumes. They headed to the bathrooms where Darren handed her a bag with a smile.

"See you on the other side."

Lauren opened the bag cautiously and pulled out a short black waitress dress along with a big brown wig. She peeked into the bag and saw the remains of her 'Magenta' outfit, "Well played Darren, well played."

She stepped out of the bathroom conscious of the shortness of the dress even though she knew there were people there dressed in far less.

She craned her neck trying to see over the heads of the crowd in an attempt to find Darren. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist and spin her around.

"Oh my God Darren," she exclaimed looking him up and down. He wasn't wearing much and Lauren had to admit she was more than a little turned on. "You know, you should have worn this to dinner… we would have matched," Lauren giggled pulling at his gold vest top and eyeing the matching gold shorts (that left little to the imagination.)

"Haha very funny, well you're looking very leggy yourself."

"You picked it out!" she cried indignantly giving him a playful smack on the arm as they joined the queue to get their seats.

Darren handed in their tickets and they were escorted right down to the front row. "I know some of the cast, so they hooked me up," Darren explained.

Lauren was beginning to get a bit nervous now, she knew the show had audience involvement and especially liked to pick-on what they called Rocky 'virgins'(someone who had never seen the show before.)

The lights went down…and a voice started singing,

"_Michael Rennie was ill  
The Day the Earth Stood Still  
But he told us where we stand  
And Flash Gordon was there  
In silver underwear…"_

She guessed she'd find out soon enough.

* * *

Lauren and Darren leaped up, applauding loudly, at the end of the show as the cast stepped forward for their final bow. The guy who played Rocky looked down at Lauren and gave her a flirty smile. Let's just say he had been very interested in involving Lauren during the show, even pulling her to her feet and placing her hands on his toned chest. Darren now glared at him with a stony expression on his face and grabbed Lauren, pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips to hers. Lauren snickered, "Someone's a little jealous."

"I just want to get my message across that you're taken," Darren whispered a little out of breath.

Lauren gasped, surprised, while in her head she was trying to process what he'd just said. Was he really implying what she thought he was?

Darren momentarily looked shocked himself at his own words before wrapping both his arms tighter around Lauren's waist and pulling her closer.

"Lauren Lopez… would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend? I know it's fast but…."

Lauren placed her finger to his lips, silencing him.

"How could I say no to such an offer?"

The audience was still going crazy as the shows music began playing loudly and the cast joined the crowd, enjoying the party that had sprung up. Darren lifted Lauren up and spun her around, his jealousy now forgotten as he held his new girlfriend in his arms.

He walked her home to her apartment, well carried her, as her feet had been sore from the heels. When they reached the door Darren looked down at her. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her head was resting on his shoulder. She opened her eyes, realising that he'd stopped and their eyes locked.

"We're here," she said disappointed.

He held her for another few minutes, not wanting to let her go. "I better go in," Lauren finally voiced, "Julia can probably hear us." Darren sighed and gently put her down. He didn't remove his hands from her hips straight away, letting them linger there for a couple of seconds.

"Goodnight Darren, thank you for an amazing night. You really did 'rock my world'."

She kissed him softly on the lips, before opening the door behind her.

"Wow…Boyfriend," she smirked playfully as she stepped inside. "I like the sound of it," she said before closing the door, her cheeks still flushed from the kiss.

"I do too," Darren said to himself before turning and heading back towards the stairs. He passed two girls who eyed him incredulously and it was only now that he realised he was still in his gold Rocky attire. He prayed the guys would be asleep back at the apartment, knowing he'd never hear the end of it if they caught him.

**Hey so I hope you liked it. **

**The songs used in this chapter were **"Kiss the Girl"** from The Little Mermaid and **"Science fiction-Double Feature" **from** **the Rocky Horror Show.**

**Please revie thank you**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey so this is a really fun chapter. Hope you like it. Please**** please please continue reviewing and thank you all for even reading my stories, I didn't expect people to actually like them. I wouldn't be the type to have written a lot before and I've discovered how much I love writing through doing these so thank you x x x**

Lauren knocked on the guys apartment door and waited. Julia stood beside her with her arms still wrapped around herself, trying to recover from the cold. It had taken them almost half an hour to trudge through the thick layer of snow that now covered the U of M campus, and they were freezing. "I hate this stupid snow," Julia muttered, shivering slightly.

Lauren smiled as she remembered Darren's excitement when the first snowflakes had begun to fall. Coming from San Francisco he'd never had a 'White Christmas' and the novelty still hadn't worn off for him.

Thinking back over the last few months she still couldn't believe it, it was now only a week until the Christmas break. Her first semester had gone by so quickly and it was hard to believe that less than 2 months ago she'd only known Darren as Disney guy. She turned around as she heard the apartment door open, revealing Joe, who already looked well on the way to drunkenness.

"Laaauuuuuren, Juliaaaa!" he exclaimed, pulling them into a hug. Yep, Lauren confirmed to herself, he's definitely drunk. She didn't like to admit it but sometimes she found Joe a little hard to take and she knew that if it wasn't for Darren she probably wouldn't have ever put herself in his company. Of course she'd never admitted any of this to Darren, Joe was his best friend.

It was just sometimes she found him so obnoxious and arrogant. Of course he was good-looking, she couldn't deny that, but he knew it and he had a reputation for constantly hooking up with girls.

Joe put his arms around her and Julia's shoulders and guided them into the living room, which was filled with both familiar and unfamiliar faces. She smiled at Meredith, who was sitting very closely next to Brian, across the room.

"Hey Walker, watch it, that's my girl you've got there," Darren said jokingly from behind them as he pulled Lauren into his arms.

Joe just wiggled his eyebrows up and down teasingly, before leaving them to answer the door again. It was only now that Lauren looked around and realised Julia had already left and joined the party. She stretched up and wrapped her arms around Darren's neck, and kissed him. She pulled back and Darren flashed a wide smile, before leaning in and whispering in her ear, "Let's party." He took her hand and lead her towards the centre of the room where people were dancing around crazily.

* * *

Lauren flopped down on the sofa, swinging her bare feet happily from side to side. Darren had gone to get a glass of water to help sober her up. She didn't usually drink and after tonight she'd discovered it didn't take much to get her drunk. Yet another side effect of being small.

The party had quietened down and it was mostly only close friends left. Julia was with some guy in the far corner of the room and neither Meredith nor Jaime were in sight, but she presumed they were in a similar situation to Julia somewhere.

She was so lost in her own world that she didn't notice a guy sliding in next to her on the seat, until he started extending his arm around her, like they did in those cheesy romantic movies, and leaning in towards her. Felling slightly uncomfortable, she went to get up, but the guy grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"Hey now, why don't we get to know each other a little better," he slurred.

Lauren was saved from responding by the sudden appearance of Joe, who yanked her out of the guy's grasp and told him to "fuck off," in a threatening tone. The guy just got up with a shrug and left. Lauren looked up at Joe surprised.

"What? Just because you think I'm an asshole doesn't mean I am one…. All the time." He responded with a smirk on his face, "You're Darren's girlfriend; he cares about you, so… I follow the bro code and look out for you too."

Lauren crinkled her eyebrows in confusion before answering, "the bro code?" she giggled.

"Oh my God, that's what you chose to pick up on from that 'deep and emotional' testimony," Joe laughed shaking his head in disbelief, running his hand through his hair.

"Hey Dar, you better watch her tonight," Joe said over Lauren's head, causing her to spin around to see Darren holding the water in his hand. She sprung into his arms, causing him to spill most of it. Putting the glass down, he wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her. He kissed the top of her head tenderly before she pulled back and pointed a finger at Joe accusingly, "Hey you were just as drunk."

Joe shrugged, "ya but I sober up fast…your teensy."

She stood up as tall as she could and eyed Joe dubiously.

"You know, I think we should be friends," she blurted out confidently, "I mean, you're friends with Darren, I'm going out with Darren… we both know Darren… so it makes sense that we should be friends… right?" It was now Joes turn to appear surprised and it took him a minute before he nodded.

"I suppose we've reached that point," he laughed.

Darren was trying to contain his laughter. However as Lauren rested her head against his chest, he mouthed a "thanks man" to Joe.

Hearing her sigh, he looked down at Lauren's pouting face, "What's wrong Lo?"

"Nothing… it's just…can we go play in the snow?"

"Lo, it's 3 in the morning and like 0 degrees out, we'll freeze." Darren said, guiding her over to the sofa again and sitting her down.

"Aw please Dar, we'll wear coats and it'll be fine." She begged pulling herself out of Darren's arms to swing around and face him. She nearly fell off the sofa in the process, only Darren caught her just in time.

"Phew, that could have been embarrassing," She exclaimed. Joe was still standing there with an entertained smirk on his face.

"We can have a snowball fight, or play tag!" she suggested excitedly, bouncing up and down on the sofa.

Darren looked into her big beautiful brown eyes that gazed up at him pleadingly... "Ok, where's your coat?"

* * *

In the end most people had donned their coats and braved the cold and it had quickly turned into a full on snowball battle between two teams. Darren spun around as he felt a hard thud hit the back of his head. He whipped around quickly, ready to strike, only to pull back his arm when he saw Lauren laughing uncontrollably and running off in the other direction.

"Lo, we're on the same team!" he shouted after her.

She was wearing his navy wool hat and one of his coats over her own, to keep warm. It went down almost to her knees and Darren suppressed a smile as he took off after her. He snuck up behind her and grabbed her and they fell to the ground wrapped in each other's arms. Catching one another's eyes they both stopped, the chocolate brown meeting the green hazel ones.

Lauren's breath caught. Darren exhaled and she watched the warm breath from his mouth as it condensed in the bitter night air. She squealed and jumped suddenly as she felt a cold sensation hit her face. Darren was smiling contentedly and she realised he had gotten her off guard.

"Well played, Darren…well played," she said, wiping the snow from her cheeks.

Lauren yawned, suddenly feeling exhausted. Despite the numerous layers of clothing she had on, she was beginning to feel the cold and huddled into Darren. "I think it's time for bed," Darren whispered in her ear as he picked her up in his arms."

She mumbled a response, too tired to form proper words, and closed her eyes. She could hear his heart beating steadily under his jacket.

Darren carried her back inside and placed her gently down on his bed. He removed her shoes and coats carefully, so as not to wake her. He then pulled the quilt covers up around her and watched her chest rising up and down ever so slightly with every breath. Her face looked so relaxed and she had the hint of a smile on her face as she slept. He leant down and placed a kiss on her forehead,

"Night Lo," he whispered softly.

**Hope you liked it. I'm back at school now so I'm going to apologise now if I don't update as frequently but I will try to get something up at least once a week. x x x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey sorry I haven't uploaded in ages, Iwas updating my other fic. This chapter's extra long to make up for it. Hope you enjoy and please review x x x**

"Loz wake up… wake up, we're here."

Lauren felt her brother Mark shake her shoulder gently as she opened her eyes groggily and stretched.

"What, already? How long was I asleep for?" she replied drowsily as he pulled up outside her apartment block which strangely enough, now felt like home to her. She'd spent the holidays with her family…however it hadn't been the loving, family reunion she'd hoped for.

Her mother still refused to accept acting as an acceptable career choice and she strongly resented Lauren's pursueing of it. The minute she had walked in the door her Mom had wasted no time letting her know what a "_complete waste of time"_ it was and that Lauren needed to _"get out of the fantasy world she was living in and do_ _something worthwhile." _Lauren had spent the majority of her Christmas break fighting with her, and it had been some what of a relief to leave. The only person who had kept her sane was Mark.

"You slept like the entire journey and now I'll finally get rid of you," Mark replied light-heartedly,bringing Lauren back to reality.

She smiled dishearteningly at his playful teasing.

He put his arm around her, seeing the saddness in her eyes, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Forget about Mom Loz, she'll come around."

"What if she doesn't? And every time I go home I'll see the disappointment in her eyes… She didn't ask me once about college or my new friends or the plays I've done or... anything about my life." She responded, tearing up a little, "I feel like I'm letting her down. She hardly even calls anymore… It's like she doesn't care."

Mark pulled back from the hug and Lauren saw that his face was now completely serious.

"Lolo, she loves you and she only wants the best for you. It's just taking her longer that the rest of us to see that acting is exactly that. You belong on a stage."

Lauren wanted to believe his words but it was difficult to imagine her mother ever accepting her choice. She hadn't even dared tell her about Darren, knowing it would result in another shouting match and Lauren couln't help but reminisce about the days where she could tell her anything.

"I'm gonna miss you little sis."

"I 'm gonna miss you too," she whispered looking into his eyes, which were almost identical to her own… a deep chocolate-brown with a light brown ring on the outside. However the resemblances between them stopped there and in fact if you were to look at them you'd never think they were related… While Lauren was tiny, Mark was almost 6ft tall with dark blonde hair.

"C'mon I'll help you with your bags."

They climbed out of the car and Mark popped open the boot. Lauren wrapped her coat around herself tighter, feeling the chill in the air. She felt her phone beep and pulled it out, smiling when she saw it was a text from Darren. She couldn't wait to see him.

_- I spy a hot 5ft brunette 3_

She bit her lip and blushed slightly, thinking about his infectious smile and twinkling green eyes.

Mark interrupted her thoughts, "I'll bring this up for you," he said with her suitcase in his hand.

"Thanks, I'll be up in a sec," she replied distractedly, throwing him her apartment key.

Lauren looked around her, searching for Darren's mop of curly hair. She jumped as she felt a pair of hands on her waist twirl her around, right into his chest. Darren's beautiful green eyes gazed down at her and she took his face delicately in her hands, running her finger along his jaw line. She immediately felt so much better, now that he was here.

"I spy a hot hobbit," she giggled, kissing him on the lips. "Who was that guy you were with?" he asked in between kisses, although Lauren swore she could detect something in his voice. Was it jealousy? She found it kind of cute.

"Dude?!"

Lauren leaped back from Darren on hearing Mark's voice and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks despite the cold weather. Darren in comparison looked slightly pissed and confused.

"Oh, Mark… this is Darren, my… boyfriend. Darren, this is my older brother Mark."she introduced them to each other awkwardly.

Realisation dawned on Darren's face and his eyes widened. "Oh...sorry man."

Darren extended his hand out to Mark, who looked questioningly at Lauren as he walked over. He pulled himself up to his full height, dwarfing Darren and shook his outstretched hand. Lauren sighed and looked frantically from Mark's face to Darren's, trying to read their expressions. No one ever tells you how terrifying it is to tell family members about relationships you're in... especially your brother.

"You never mentioned you had a boyfriend Loz," Mark said, more as a statement than a question, his eyes remaining fixed on Darren.

"Should I leave you guys alone to talk?" Darren asked quietly.

"No stay….." Mark answered confidentely, clearing his throat before continuing in an intense tone, "I think I need to make things clear. Lauren is my little sister, my only sister... and if you hurt her, you'll have me to answer to."

Lauren didn't know whether to laugh or cry with embarrassment, "Oh my God, Mark stop being so ridiculous."

But as she looked back at Darren, she saw that he too wore a completely serious expression.

"I would never hurt her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'd be a fool if I let myself lose her."

Mark seemed satisfied enough with his answer, however he still eyed Darren warily. Lauren on the other hand could hardly believe what she was witnessing.

"Ok, am I the only one that finds this extremely stupid and completely unnecessary?" she almost shouted in disbelief.

"Yes," Mark answered, finally looking down at her. "Look Loz, it had to be said and now it has been."

Darren stepped back discretely to let the two say goodbye. Lauren leaned up and hugged Mark.

"Darren's a really great guy you know, you don't need to worry... So stop glaring at him intimidatingly," she whispered in his ear knowing his eyes were still focused on Darren behind her.

"Loz do you realise how weird it is for me to see some guy with his hands all over you? If he wants to be with you, then he needs to know he can't mess with you," he responded, "I'm only fulfilling my role as a brother by looking out for you."

"Trust won't hurt me," Lauren told him sincerely.

Mark released her and grinned, "He better not … and don't worry I won't say anything to Mom."

He opened the car door and sat in. "Bye lolo, I'll call you next week." He inclined his head towards Darren, "Take care of her."

"I will." Darren responded genuinely

Mark revved the car engine and Lauren sighed as she watched him drive away. As soon as the car was out of sight Darren wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Well… what do you think of Mark?" she laughed trying to make light of what she had viewed as an extremely embarrassing situation.

Darren had a completely different outlook, "I just hope someday, he'll no longer only see me as the guy making out with his sister."

"Well, you are the guy that's making out with his sister," she responded cheekily, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"Being that guy is awesome," he responded breathlessly, as they pulled apart. "How about you come back to my apartment and we can watch a movie? Or we could make out on the sofa while the movie plays in the background? I'm cool with both."

"Is Joe not back yet?" Lauren questioned.

"He is. But he can go to Brian, Nick and Dylan's for a while," he answered

"Well in that case, option two is sounding rather appealing," Lauren smirked, as Darren grabbed her small hand and pulled off in the opposite direction.

* * *

They walked into Darren's apartment, only to be stopped by Joe in the hallway. "Hey Lauren. Uh Darren, can I've a word with you for a minute?"

"Ok… sure, I'll follow you in Lo."

Lauren nodded and walked into the living room. She bent down to pick out a film, eventually choosing West Side Story She placed the disc in the DVD player, ready to play before heading into the kitchen to get some snacks and drinks. She opened the door to see a stunning redhead, with legs that went on forever, sitting at the table. _Must be Joes current playmate, _she thought to herself.

"Hi, I'm Devin," the girl introduced.

"Oh hey, I'm Lauren. Are you Joe's…uh friend?" she asked carefully, not wanting to come across too invasive, while at the same time interested enough to find out if her asumptions were correct.

"Oh no no no, I'm actually…"

The kitchen door opened interrupting Devin and Lauren looked around to see Darren standing there, wearing a stunned expression. Devin shrieked excitedly and Lauren leaped to the side as the girl raced across the room towards Darren and flung her arms around his neck.

It took him a moment before he managed to detach himself from Devin's crushing embrace.

"Dar, it's so nice to see you again… guess what? I'm after transferring to U of M so now we'll get to see each other all the time!" she squealed.

"I'm sorry, what is going on?" Lauren asked, confused.

"This is Devin, a friend of mine from back home," Darren responded carefully, looking at Lauren expectantly. Devin laughed, "Friend? We were more than friends Darren," she said throwing him a flirty smile and placing a hand on Darren's shoulder.

Lauren couldn't believe her ears and she felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. Darren ran his hands through his curls while Devin continued talking at a speedy rate, "Isn't this great though? I mean now we can get back together and…"

"Devin stop."

Devin paused and Darren addressed her gently and cautiously, "I have a girlfriend…Lauren." he said, walking over to Lauren.

Devin's mouth made an 'O' shape as realisation dawned on her and she faced Lauren with a murderous glare. Darren wrapped his arm around Lauren's waist, pulling her close. Devin's face turned a deep shade of scarlet and Lauren wasn't sure was it due to anger or embarrassment... or both.

"Oh.I should have known things would be different," Devin whispered coolly, picking up her coat and making her way towards the door.

"I'm sorry Devin, but I love Lauren," Darren choked. Lauren at this point didn't know what to do and she could feel Devin's eyes on her. "It's ok, it's not your fault Darren," Devin responded sweetly, but Lauren got the feeling she was making a dig at her, which went unnoticed by Darren.

"We can still be friends."

"Mhmmm, maybe" Devin murmured.

They heard a knocking on the front door and a minute later Joe poked his head back into the kitchen, "It's our landlord. He wants to talk to you bro."

Darren hesitated before nodding. "I think it's time I go anyway," Devin decided. "Back in a sec Lo," Darren said quietly, squeezing her hand. As the door swung shut behind Devin and Darren, Lauren felt the overwhelming power of silence close in on her.

"You ok?"

Lauren looked up, surprised Joe was still there. "Ya, I guess it's just going to be a bit weird having Darren's ex-girlfriend around all the time…. It doesn't help that she's really hot either... plus I'm pretty sure she hates me."

Joe didn't say anything as he walked over to the freezer and pulled out a huge tub of ice-cream. He fetched two spoons from a drawer and handed one to Lauren.

"I hear this is what girls do when boys annoy them."

Lauren smiled and took it. "Things aren't that bad Joe, and I think it's more a girl that's the problem here...but I do like ice-cream so, what the hell?"

She dug the spoon into the chocolate swirl and scooped out a huge chunk of creamy deliciousness. "You know what? I made a good drunk decision in becoming friends with you. You provide amazing food!" she confessed licking her spoon. Joe shrugged his shoulders,"I am awesome."

Darren returned a few minutes later and his face lit up when he saw Joe and Lauren on the ground with chocolate all over their faces. "Oh I want some!" he gasped, running over to them. He flopped down on the kitchen tiles next to Lauren and pulled her on to his lap and wrapping his arms around her. She scooped up a spoonful of chocolate ice-cream and help it out for him.

"I meant what I said to Mark earlier. You are the best thing that's happened to me and Devin doesn't change things," he spoke softly into her ear, as he twirled a piece of her soft hair in his fingers.

Lauren dropped the spoon and pressed her lips to Darren's, receiving an immediate response. Their faces were so close, he could feel her eyelashes flutter on his face. He ran his tongue along her perfectly smooth lips before biting down on them gently. As the kiss deepened, a low moan escaped Lauren's mouth.

"Well this is extremely uncomfortable."

Darren and Lauren drew back from one another and blushed, completely forgetting they weren't alone. Joe had a disgusted expression on his face and Lauren tried to suppress her laughter.

"Its fine, I'll head over to the guys place," Joe sighed, "I'm taking the ice-cream though."

He picked himself up off the ground and grabbed the ice-cream tub, before hastily making his way out the door. "Sorry man," Darren shouted after him and a minute later they heard the front door bang shut.

Darren cupped Lauren's chin his hand and gazed at her lovingly. "Finally we're alone. Hmm, should we watch that movie or stay on the floor doing this," he mused.

"Well... we could do exactly this, except on the couch," Lauren tempted, tracing patterns on his cheek and looking up at him seductively.

"I like that plan."

**Hope you lik please leave a review and let me know what you think. Also if you have any prompts let me know because I might try do a few in the next few week thanks again lovelies x x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey so... I know... it's been way too long and I feel so bad! Hope you enjoy this one and I promise I won't keep you waiting as long for the next one... or will I? Thanks for sticking around you guys, ye're the best! The reviews mean a lot and I really appreciate hearing from you all! x x x**

Lauren felt her heart rate quicken as she felt Darren's hand slowly running down her waist and slipping inside her delicate red lace underwear. Her skin tingled slightly under his soft touch however she felt her body tense as his hand slid neared and nearer,

"Darren…"

He stopped immediately, pulling his hand away and hearing the uncertainty in her cracked voice as she said his name. He couldn't help but feel his heart drop a little in disappointment. He rolled off her and ran his hands through his unruly black curls. He was a guy and like all guys, he had needs that longed to be fulfilled, however Lauren wanted to take things slow and he vowed to respect her wishes.

"I'm sorry… I thought… I don't know," Lauren said avoiding his gaze. He saw her cheeks begin to flush red with embarrassment as her voice became softer, "I'm sorry…"

"Shhh Lo… do not apologise," he interrupted, seeing an unnecessary guilt in her expression. He propped himself up on his elbow and placed his hand under her chin, gently tilting her head up, forcing their eyes to meet, "When the time is right, it will all fall into place. I promised you I would not pressure you and I stand by that promise."

Lauren flashed him a tiny smile. He lay back down and stretched his arm around her, pulling her into his bare chest. They lay there in a comfortable silence and Darren listened as her breath gradually became slower and deeper. He glanced down at her small hand that was placed on his tummy. Gently, he stroked her fingers with his own, inwardly marvelling at their softness and minute size. He often called her his little Thumbelina. Her eyes were now closed and her dark lashed fluttered ever so slightly as her mind became more immersed in her dreams.

A couple of months back, he had never imagined having a relationship that could exist without frequent sex, however now he saw that there was so much more. The thought of losing Lauren was unbearable and he disregarded the thought at once, knowing it would only result in distress and worried sleep.

Gazing down at his girlfriend once more, he placed a kiss on her forehead before closing his own eyes and allowing the drowsiness to whisk him away.

* * *

"Shit," Lauren exclaimed leaping from the bed and grabbing her jeans from the floor.

"What? What's wrong?" Darren muttered wearily, his eyes still sticky with sleep, trying to follow her darting figure around the room as she gathered various belongings.

"I've a class… in 2 minutes," she gasped frantically checking her wrist, seemingly oblivious to the fact she wasn't wearing a watch,

"Here Lo," Darren grinned, tossing her, her phone. She caught it and Darren had to hold back a laugh as he watched her flustered face look up at him gratefully. He swung his legs out over the side of the bed and stood up to stretch,

"I'll see you later," she whispered breathlessly, leaning up and giving him a peck on the lips before rushing out the bedroom door. He shook his head in amusement as he heard her snappily greet Joe on her way out: "Joe, I don't have time to look at your bacon that looks like a fish!"

Darren sauntered out to the kitchen, stifling a yawn as his best friend and roommate turned upon hearing him enter,

"Hey bro check this out," Joe pointed excitedly at the frying pan, "doesn't it look like a…"

"Fish?... no maybe a merman, but I don't see a fish, " Darren teased, snatching a piece of crispy bacon.

Joe dished out eggs, sausages and bacon onto two plates and handed one across to Darren. There was one thing that not many people knew about Joe Walker, and that was that he was a badass chef. Maybe not the best for cleaning up after, but the good food made up for it,

"Hey will you leave some aside for Lo for after her class?"

Joe hummed a positive response, his mouth full of food. Swallowing, he sat down opposite Darren and smirked at him,

"What?" Darren asked.

"So… Lauren stayed the night…"

"Nothing happened," Darren interjected before Joe's erotic mind could explore the R-rated possibilities , "she said she wasn't ready so…" he sighed slightly.

"Dude! Are you serious? Just fuck her already!" Joe exclaimed loudly dropping his fork onto the plate with a clatter.

Darren placed his own utensils down and stared Joe in the eye, "she doesn't want to yet… I'm not going to be the prick that forces her to do something she doesn't want to."

"Ya. but Dar… " Joe seemed unable to understand the logic behind it and shook his head in wonderment at the idea, "I mean it's just sex, she's gotta get over it."

Darren remained silent, knowing Joe was not going to be supportive of any form of abstinence. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and listened half-heartedly as Joe switched the conversation slightly and tried to come to a logical explanationas to how mermen and mermaids would have sex...

"... The Little Mermaid provides no insight at all in to the matter."

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Darren lifted his head in surprise and rose slowly, hearing another knock on the door. As he opened it fully his eyes widened,

"Devin? Um… hi… why? What brings you here this early?"

"Oh I won't stay long," she smiled innocently, stepping past him into the apartment, "I just wanted to ask a favour?"

Darren stared at her blankly, meaning her to go on, "yes?"

"Well the thing is… I need a tutor, to catch me up on things I missed during the first term because I'm hoping to do the exams this summer and get my first year credentials with everyone else."

She paused, as if for dramatic effect, "Dar, would you, maybe, be my tutor? Pleeeeaaasse?"

He hesitated momentarily, considering the request. _Surely Lauren wouldn't mind? And Devin is a friend in need. _

"Ya, I suppose I could…" he was cut off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Ok so will we say twice a week at the library?" Darren suggested, "Tuesday and Thursday?"

Devin bit her lip, "Could we maybe change Thursday to Friday? I've a dance class on Thursdays."

"Ya, that's fine, Friday at 6.30," he confirmed, looking at her delighted expression, "I'll see you then."

Darren closed the door behind Devin as she bounced gleefully out. "Who was that?" Joe questioned, without looking up,

"Devin…" Darren paused as he realised that Joe was now eating the food they'd set aside for Lauren. Joe glanced up and shrugged,

"It was going cold and I was still hungry…. Wait Devin? your ex? What did she want?"

"She asked would I tutor her… so I said yes."

Joe stopped and rose his eyebrows. "Man, Lauren's gonna be pissed."

"What? No she won't. Lauren knows that I have no interest in Devin."

"So are you telling me you're not even a little bit nervous about telling Lauren this news?" Joe asked pointedly. Darren froze and thought about it.

"Ah…"

"Good luck bud," Joe said, getting up and clapping him on the back.

"Maybe I won't need to say anything for a while… This whole tutoring thing might not even last so there's no point stirring up trouble for the sake of it," Darren reasoned, looking at Joe questioningly.

"Keeping up a steady relationship is not my area of specialty," Joe responded quickly, "on the contrary; I try to ward off such responsibilities."

Darren rolled his eyes in exasperation, "man, you're useless…. Look it'll be fine. Lo need never know."

At that moment, he heard the familiar beep of his phone, indicating a text message.

_2 new messages_

_Hey, _

_Can't wait for our study date Friday night! I've a test Saturday morning so this means so much to me Dar! You're a life saver!_

_Dev x _

He clicked out of it and into the next one,

_Morning Prince Charming,_

_Sorry for leaving in such a rush earlier. If it makes u feel better I was thinking about you all thru class. Btw I've got two tickets to see Mere's stand-up comedy show Friday night. Wanna make it a date? It starts at 7.30. _

_L _

Darren leaned back in his chair, "shit."

**Yep I'm stirring up a bit of trouble in Crisspez land! lalalalala :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Enjoy and please continue to review x x**

"Hey, is this seat taken?"

Lauren looked up in expectation and her heart fell when she saw it wasn't Darren. Where the hell was he? Meredith had been on for almost an hour and she could see Brian sitting in the stage wings waiting for her to finish.

"I guess not," she sighed, resigning herself to the fact that Darren might not show.

In front of her was a tall lanky guy with his hands stuffed nervously in his pockets. She frowned as she tried to identify him in her head and discreetly wondered if he even a student at the college.

The guy gave Lauren a crooked smile as he saw her observing him and she blushed, embarrassed. His hair was raven black and his eyes were a deep cobalt blue with a soft twinkle to them. He was good looking, there was no denying it.

"I'm Joey," he said, kindly defusing the awkwardness.

"Lauren," she responded, taking his out-stretched hand, "I've never seen you around here before, what course are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm actually not a student here…yet. I'm hoping to come here next year for the theatre program. I drove down to take a look around and get the feel of the campus," Joey explained, "unfortunately my guide cancelled on me, so don't be surprised if you see a confused dude wandering around tomorrow."

"You'd be surprised how many of those I actually come across," she joked, taking a sip of her water, "but seriously if you want I can give you the tour," she offered, "I've no classes tomorrow and as luck would have it, I happen to be a majoring in theatre, so I can give you the real experience."

"Wow ya, are you sure? That would be awesome," he seemed genuinely grateful for the offer.

"Here, I'll give you my number and you can text me what time and meeting place suits," she said taking a pen out of her bag and scribbling down her digits on a napkin.

* * *

"Shit," Darren exclaimed leaping up from the library chair, noticing the time on the clock behind Devin.

"What is it?"

"I was supposed to meet Lauren an hour ago."

A stony expression came over Devin's face as she watched him shrug on his coat. Checking his pockets frantically, he swore again as he realised he must have left his phone back at the apartment. He ran his hands through his hair before bending to grab his scarf from the carpeted floor. Straightening up, he was surprised to find that Devin had moved to stand in front of him and they were now standing in very close proximity,

"I'd a good time tonight Darren. Thank you," she breathed, "it was just like old times."

"Ya, it was nice to catch up," he responded sincerely. He'd honestly enjoyed talking with her and reminiscing about their days in high school together. Unexpectedly Devin moved in towards him and pressed her lips to his. Darren could taste her vanilla lip balm and he felt her press herself up against him,

"No Dev," he gasped pushing her away, "I can't… I can't do this."

"You can't, but you want to."

He looked at her incredulously, "What? No, I don't, I've a girlfriend… LAUREN."

"Just because you have a new girlfriend, doesn't mean that our feelings for each other never existed," she cried and Darren was thankful that there was no one else in the library to hear them.

"Tell me to my face that you have absolutely no feelings what so ever for me," she said quietly in a commanding tone.

He hesitated as the words caught in his throat. Of course there was a part of him that was still recovering from their breakup, she'd been his first proper girlfriend and he'd given her his virginity. He respected her and didn't regret what they'd shared together, but he wasn't interested in rekindling a relationship,

"I think we should just be friends," he responded gently, avoiding her piercing gaze.

"Fine," she said eventually, "keep lying to yourself Darren."

With that she grabbed her bag and stalked past him. He heard the library door bang shut and sighed_, why are girls so difficult? _He thought, closing his eyes and groaning.

Suddenly his eyes shot open as he remembering he was supposed to be with Lauren and he quickly pulled himself together. Just as he was leaving he stopped, convinced he'd heard something, but as he listened his ears were only met with a dead silence. He shrugged to himself before pushing the library door open.

He sprinted across campus, taking a short cut through the faculty car park that was now deserted. He checked his watch and swore and as he neared the bar he heard echoes of laughter carry through the night air.

Swinging open the bar door, he was greeted by a wall of hot air that had built up from the number of people packed inside. He apologised constantly to people as he tried to weave through the tightly packed crowd and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. He looked around to see if he could spot Lauren and he sighed with relief as his eyes fell on her straight brown hair that hung loose down her back. _Thank God she is still here._ She was laughing at something and his heart melted as he saw her face light up and her eyes shine. A tall broad-shouldered guy blocked his view and prevented him from seeing her properly. Excusing himself politely to get through, his eyebrows crinkled in confusion as he saw her writing down something on a napkin and handing it over to an unfamiliar dark haired fella sitting at her table.

He pushed forward forcefully, earning him a few unfriendly glares from fellow students, finally reaching her,

"Hey Lo, I'm so sorry I'm late," he gasped coming up and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

He felt her jump in surprise as he kissed her passionately, taking her face in his hands. She seemed slightly taken back by his forwardness and pulled away, blushing.

"Dar, where were you? Mere's almost finished," she pouted and Darren felt guilty as he looked into her big brown eyes that were staring up at him questioningly. He stuttered trying to find words,

"Ah…I know, I'm sorry, I was at the library and I lost track of time."

She looked unconvinced and so he kneeled down next to her and rested his head on her arm, "I'm sorry Lolo," he whispered, giving her puppy dog eyes. He could see the trace of a smile pulling at the edge of her lips and started nudging her with his head goofily until she finally broke down in a fit of giggles and swatted him away,

"Fine, you're forgiven." She turned then to face Joey,

"Darren, this is Joey," she said, indicating to the guy sitting down opposite.

"Joey, this is Darren," she introduced likewise.

"Her boyfriend," Darren added, trying to put a subtle emphasis on the word as he leaned in grudgingly to shake his hand. He knew it was probably unnecessary to stress this fact but Lauren was a pretty girl and Darren wanted to make things clear from the start, not that Joey held any delusions as to what the situation was, judging by his bemused expression.

"Oh sorry man, do you want this seat back, it was saved for you after all?" he asked, half getting up. Darren bit his lip, tempted to take him up on his offer.

"No it's fine, Lauren can sit on my lap?"

She nodded willingly and stood up allowing him to sit down. She was used to being in peoples' arms due to her size and had grown accustomed to it, besides she never minded being in Darren's. He pulled her on to his knee feeling a warm sensation rush through him as she leaned against his chest. He could smell her coconut shampoo and feel the heat emanating from her body as she got herself comfortable. He laced his arms around her petite waist and kissed her softly on the head, sensing the smile on her face as he did so.

He tried to focus on the rest of the show. He laughed whenever he felt Lauren chuckle in his arms and smiled at her whenever she looked up at him, however his mind was elsewhere. He'd considered telling Lauren about what happened with Devin but he didn't want drag her into all the drama. All the same he hated the thought of keeping it a secret.

Joe, Jaime and Dylan joined them a few minutes later and Meredith and Brian followed suit once the show had ended. They pulled up some extra chairs now that the place had quietened down. Joey fit right in with the group and Darren gradually relaxed and found himself warming up to the guy. Sitting with his friends, he was able to push Devin to the back of his mind and immerse himself in the friendly banter.

Lauren stayed on Darren's lap and as the night wore on he began to notice her slowly becoming quieter and her eyes began to close,

"Tired?"

"Hm, a bit," she sighed, resting her head against him.

"I can take you home if you want?" he asked rubbing circles on her back, "No no it's ok, I like listening," she responded drowsily. Darren nodded however minutes later when he looked down, he found her fast asleep.

"She looks like a little baby when she sleeps," Jaime whispered biting her lip, "I have to take a picture of this."

Darren didn't have time to respond before she'd her phone out. Satisfied, Jaime went to sit down again and Darren shook his head as her and Meredith giggled and awed over the picture. Darren turned his head as Joe leaned in towards him,

"Did you mention anything about Devin…"

"What?"

"Did you tell Lauren you're tutoring Devin?" Joe repeated and Darren felt his shoulders relax. For a second he'd thought Joe had somehow found out about the kiss.

He shook his head and glanced down at Lauren cradled in his arms, "No, but I don't think this tutoring thing is going to work out anyway," he whispered back quietly.

It was only when the bar owner approached them to inform them that he was closing up for the night that they realised how late it was. Darren reluctantly nudged Lauren awake,

"It's time to go Lo."

"Five more minutes," she groaned snuggling into him.

"Lo we really have to go," he said easing her gently off his lap.

They walked hand in hand back towards her apartment, staying a little way behind the rest of the group. Joey had taken off outside the bar and Lauren quickly texted him to confirm they were still on for the following day,

_Definitely! 11am outside the student centre? _

_Btw thanks for tonight, I'd a good time and it was cool to hang out with you guys._

_-Joey_

She read the message and smiled,

"Who's texting you this late at night?" Darren asked intrigued, "not that other boyfriend of yours, I hope!" he laughed, tickling her under the arms.

"Oh yes, Joey and I choreographed a love affair behind your back," she expressed dramatically.

"Choreographed?" Darren chuckled at her choice of wording.

"Well, I am a dancer," she replied, as if that explained everything, "only messing Dar. It was just Joey asking what time we're meeting up tomorrow. I promised I'd show him around the campus."

"Oh," Darren exclaimed, slightly taken aback. He wasn't one of those guys that went crazy every time another guy looked at his girlfriend; he knew Lauren had loads of friends that were guys and was completely at ease with that. It was just that he didn't really know Joey and perhaps with his dilemma with Devin he realised how easy it was for someone to make a move,

"What's wrong?" Lauren asked noticing his silence, "nothing… just be careful with this guy, we hardly know him," he said, trying to cover up his jealousy.

Lauren snorted, "Darren he's like a little puppy, I think I'll be just fine… and don't worry, you'll always be my number one guy," she said, seeing right through him.

He smiled down at her and immediately relaxed. Catching her off guard he suddenly swept her up in to his arms bridal smile, enjoying her shriek as he did so and she started to swing her legs happily as he carried her. He had the girl of his dreams wrapped up in his arms. His encounter with Devin seemed like a lifetime ago and in that moment he was blissfully happy.

**But how long will the happiness last? x x x**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here it is x x** **Please feel free to leave a review and as always thank you so much for reading x x x**

"Hey stranger," Lauren greeted warmly, tapping Joey on the shoulder. He spun around and held up two fingers, smiling apologetically.

"Oh God, sorry," she mouthed back, realising he was on the phone and standing back awkwardly, giving him a moment. She nibbled distractedly on a slice of toast that she'd grabbed from Darren's plate in the rush. Her hair was still slightly damp after her shower and she could feel the wet ends soaking into her top.

Both Darren and Joe had discovered they'd an entire project, which was due Monday morning, to do and Lauren had left the frantic duo to sort themselves out, only pausing to give Darren a quick kiss on her way out. They hadn't even started it and she could only imagine what Julia would say if she found out.

"Talk to you tomorrow babe… love you."

Lauren smirked as Joey ended the call and raised her eyebrows,

"I'm presuming that wasn't your mom," she giggled, seeing him blush slightly.

"Ah…no," he admitted, his cheeks flushing red.

They strolled at their ease towards the theatre building, Joey's eyes bright and inquisitive, taking in everything around him. He sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of freshly cut grass. He was so absorbed in his surroundings he failed to notice that Lauren had turned and was now making her way up some stone steps. He spun around as he heard her calling him and bounded up after her, taking them two at a time.

"Keep up soldier," Lauren teased, "we've got a tour to do."

She pushed open the theatre building's door and lead him down a long wide hallway, showing him the various studios used for rehearsal as well as some of the student lecture halls.

There was a group of older students rehearsing a play for Basement arts and for a few minute's Lauren and Joey just sat and watched the process. After a little while, Lauren nudged him and got up, beckoning Joey to follow. They ended up in a narrow deserted corridor at the back of the building and the sound of their footsteps echoed around them with every step. About halfway down, Lauren turned and flashed Joey an excited smile.

"Are you ready?"

Joey's eyebrows furrowed quizzically she pushed open a large grey door and stood back, allowing Joey to take it in – the costumes room.

"In here," she said quietly, "you can be whoever you want to be."

Joey stayed silent as he took in her words and looked around at the hundreds of costumes that surrounded him. Some were hanging on racks that lined the wall while others were heaped in messy bundles. His eyes dropped to the small girl standing next to him and they shared a look of awe and sheer joy. Stepping forward, he picked up a tattered old top hat, and placed it on his head,

"My lady," he said in an English accent, bowing dramatically.

"Ah Lord Richter, what a pleasant surprise," she exclaimed, fanning herself theatrically and playing along, "Allow me to show you some of Michigan's finest attire."

She ran her hands over the rows of brightly coloured garments, sighing as she felt the various fabrics slip through her fingers.

Joey watched her thoughtfully and in that moment he knew for sure that this was where he wanted to spend the next four years of his life – The University of Michigan. He'd seen the friendships that had been formed and the passion that every student exercised through their work. He wanted that and he was determined to get it.

"You love it don't you?" Lauren asked suddenly, "…theatre," she elaborated.

"As you said... it allows me to be whoever I want to be," he responded softly, mirroring her earlier words and giving her a goofy grin. Suddenly, they heard a loud grumbling noise and Joey smiled sheepishly, looking down at his stomach.

"Well I guess the next stop on our tour is the cafeteria," Lauren sang, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him out the door.

* * *

"No no, it's on me," Joey insisted sincerely, as he saw Lauren's hand go to her purse, "you're doing me a favour by showing me around, it's the least I can do."

Lauren opened her mouth to protest but Joey had already paid the cashier and taken her tray over to an empty table by the window. He smiled triumphantly as she sat down and Lauren felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards, unable to remain serious. She felt like she'd known Joey for years, when in reality, only 24 hours before-hand she'd never even met him. She'd surprised herself by showing Joey the costumes room. Darren had taken her there on their second date, their first date as an official couple, and she generally thought of it as kind of private, despite it being there for everyone's use. She smiled as she remembered back to the first time Darren had brought her there ...

_"Where are we going Dar?" she asked once again._

_"You're so impatient... just trust me" Darren chuckled, guiding her through the dark, empty corridors. It was late at night so the building was hauntingly silent. Darren had tied one of his t-shirts around her eyes, blindfolding her and he grinned as he saw her bite her lip with nervous excitement. He wrapped his arm around Lauren's shoulders, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He knew if they got caught they were dead, but it was a chance he was willing to take. _

_Lauren felt like she was being led through a maze and with every corner and stairway her curiosity grew. Suddenly she felt Darren stop and stumbled with her footing. She felt his arms tighten around her, steadying her and could imagine the bemused smirk on his face,_

_"I've got you," he whispered, without letting go. She could feel his breath on her cheek and she exhaled slowly. She could hear a door handle being jiggled around, followed by the soft squeak as it was pushed open. _

_Darren reached his arms around her head and untied the blindfold, letting it fall to the side. Lauren's eyes fluttered open and she __smiled shyly when she saw how close Darren's face was. He pulled back reluctantly, his heart pounding and taking her hand, led her down to the very back of the room, using his phone as a light. Lauren felt the different fabrics brush against her bare arm and shivered slightly at the feel. _

_Darren slumped down on a pile of clothes, pulling Lauren with him. She giggled as he hugged her close to his chest._

_"Where are we?" she asked breathlessly, the darkness hiding the room's identity. _

_"The costumes room," he said, tucking a strand of her soft hair behind her ear. Her face was illuminated by the soft glow of light from his phone and her chocolate brown eyes glistened. _

_"You look beautiful."_

_She blushed and placed a small hand on his chest, feeling his heat beat through his shirt._

_"You're heart's beating really fast," she stuttered, her eyes locked in his gaze._

_"It does that whenever I'm around you." _

_Lauren didn't know how to respond so instead leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips,_

_"You should get that checked out," she said, pulling back._

_"I already know the diagnosis."_

_They lay together for a while and after a while Lauren spoke,_

_"Darren, I...can we...can we maybe take things slowly at first?" _

_"Of course Lo."_

_"Thank you."_

_He could hear the relief in her voice and Darren wondered if perhaps she was a little scared of having a relationship. He knew first hand the pain it could bring,_

_"Lo?"_

_"Hm."_

_"Do you wanna watch a movie?" he said, pulling out his laptop and a copy of 'Beauty and the Beast'._

_"Anymore surprises?" she laughed, nodding._

_"Well you'll just have to wait and see."_

Since that night she'd often found herself in there, lying in the huge piles of soft fabric and letting her mind drift. It was her refuge.

"Where to next?" Joey asked suddenly, his voice awakening her from her day dream. He was leaning back in his chair and stretching, his plate now empty.

Lauren pursed her lips as she thought about it,

"Hm… well we've actually seen everything on the main campus, so I was thinking maybe you'd like to see some of the student hangouts... and of course the football pitch. This time next year you'll own every piece of Michigan Wolverines apparel available. "

"Ok, so clear out wardrobe to make room for new stuff," Joey mused, ticking off an imaginary checklist causing Lauren to roll her eyes in amusement, _He's going to fit in here no problem. _

* * *

Julia swung her bag over her shoulder, immensely satisfied with how the rehearsal had gone. She'd offered to help a friend co-direct the spring play and had been pleasantly surprised to find out how much she actually enjoyed being on the managerial side of a production. It was a first for her but she felt like she'd finally found her niche. She loved being able to see the show gradually piece together... the lighting, the music, the stage direction.

Just as she was leaving, she heard someone call out to her,

"Hey, Julia,"

She turned to see, Conor, a sophomore and one of the actors in the show, jogging towards her. He looked slightly nervous, which Julia found peculiar; he was usually quite confident and cocky... and clearly used to getting his way with the women. He had that bad-boy, chiseled sort of attraction going on, that Julia herself found rather irritating.

"I…I just heard about your roommate, Lauren, and that dude Darren breaking up and I was just wondering if maybe you could give her my number… for whenever. "

Julia didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the pettiness of the situation and stared at him disbelieving,

"Wait, what?"

"Lauren, your roommate... if you could give her my..." Conor mumbled.

"Ok, first of all, if you like a girl, at least make an effort and tell her yourself...Secondly, Darren and Lauren didn't break up. Why would you think that?"

* * *

It was growing dark by the time Lauren and Joey found themselves back at the car park, Joey now sporting his very first Michigan Wolverines baseball cap.

"It'll be fun having you around next year," Lauren smiled, punching him lightly on the arm.

"Ya, it will," he agreed, scanning the campus grounds, where he hoped to soon be spending his college days.

"Promise you'll visit in the meantime."

"Definitely... plus I'm intrigued to see how that Basement Arts show will turn out," he chuckled sarcastically.

"Ok.. admittedly that particular show does not look overly promising," she grimaced.

"I'll see you around Lo," Joey grinned, hugging her tightly, before sliding into his car. As she watched him drive away she heard a familiar voice calling her name and turned just as Meredith barreled straight into her, almost knocking her to the ground,

"Lo, thank God," she wheezed, gripping Lauren's arm, "I've been looking for you all afternoon."

"Oh… ok, well here I am," Lauren confirmed, confused as to what could require her immediate attention.

"Oh Lolo," Meredith sighed, "Are you alright sweetie?" she asked pulling Lauren into a bone crushing hug and stroking her back reassuringly.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Meredith released Lauren and inspected her closely. Suddenly her eyes widened in realisation and the colour drained from her face,

"Oh shit," she exclaimed, "I thought you knew."

Her voice had gotten quieter and quieter until it was so low, Lauren could hear nothing at all,

"Mere, what's wrong?"

Meredith could hear the subtle note of panic in Lauren's voice and she knew there was no going back,

"Mere, tell me! Why are you acting so weird?" Lauren begged, her eyes now wide and uncertain.

"Oh God… ok," she breathed, "maybe you should sit down Lo."

Lauren's eyes narrowed and she ignored Meredith's suggestion, choosing to remain standing, Meredith hesitated, trying to find the best way to phrase her words,

"Oh my God, just spit it out," Lauren persisted, getting frustrated by her friend's ambiguous behaviour.

"Well… there's a rumor going around that you and Darren broke up," Meredith started.

"Mere, that's just gossip..." Lauren interrupted, stopping when she saw Meredith's pitying expression.

"Lo...Devin and Darren kissed last night… in the library," Meredith added quietly,"Some sophomore guy saw them and presumed you two had broken up… Julia was asked about it this afternoon and it all came out. She went straight to Darren's, thinking you might be there and yelled the head off him apparently, according to Joe….We've been looking for you since."

Lauren felt herself go numb as she let the words settle,

"Maybe that sophomore was wrong," she suggested defiantly, her lips trembling. She crouched down and sat on the kerb, not sure if it was the cold concrete that was causing her to convulse, or the shock.

"I don't know Lo, I don't know," Meredith whispered. Lauren felt around in her pocket for her phone and pulled it out. She'd had it on silent all day and now, looking at the screen, she saw she had over 50 missed calls and texts, most of which were from Darren.

"Lo, listen. We haven't heard Darren's side of the story," Meredith tried to assure her softly. Lauren clicked into her voice mails and waited while the cool automated voice went through the motions before hearing a loud resounding beep,

"Lauren, if you get this, please call me. I need to talk to you. Please Lo…. I love you," and it cut off. She could hear the helplessness in Darren's voice and as the next message started to play she cut it off angrily, not wanting to hear anymore.

Meredith stayed silent, not quite sure what to say, hoping her presence alone might comfort Lauren in some small way.

"He was late to the show last night because he was at the library," Lauren stated monotonously and Meredith watched as a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye and slid down Lauren's face.

Lauren's unwavering gaze was fixated on the ground, her finger subconsciously circling the gaping hole in the elbow her old blue hoodie. Meredith sighed and sat down next to her tiny friend, not caring about the ice cold concrete and wrapped her arms around Lauren, pulling her close.

"I'm so sorry Lo..."

No more tears came and Meredith felt like she might as well be hugging a lifeless body. Lauren had seized up completely and her eyes held a disturbing vacancy. Meredith knew that there was no point in even saying anything anymore. There was only one voice that could penetrate that barrier, Darren.

**Will things begin to unravel or will they power through?**

**Bye bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey so this is a bit heavy on the feels. Hope you enjoy please review x x **

Darren's muffled voice carried through the apartment door, begging them to open up. Julia listened apprehensively, as his fist once again hammered on the wood, causing the entire door frame to shake. He'd been out there for the past hour and there was no sign of him giving up.

"Just let him in Juls," Meredith whispered quietly, leaning against Brian's shoulder, "he's not going to leave."

Julia nodded slowly and got up. She took a deep breath as she opened the door, preparing herself for the emotional mess that would greet her,

"Where is she Julia?… I need to talk to her," Darren pleaded, lunging forwards. Julia immediately stepped towards him, blocking his path. Up close she could see that is hazel eyes were bloodshot and exhausted, hollowed by dark purple shadows.

"Darren…"

"Please…let me see her. I won't leave, I won't" he choked, gripping her arm desperately. His voice was rising hysterically. She felt Brian's hand on her shoulder, pulling her back as he stepped past her.

"Dar bro, shut up for a second and just listen. We're not going to let you see Lauren in this state, so either you get your shit together or go home."

Darren stared at him in disbelief,

"Are you f**king kidding me? She's my girlfriend. I have a right to see her."

"Ya, because you've been a fantastic boyfriend," Julia interjected, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"None of this is any of your business," he growled.

"I think you should go," Brian reasoned, "give her some space."

"What makes you think you know best?! Get the f**k out of my way and LET ME SEE HER!" Darren roared, making a go for Brian.

Julia flinched back against the wall. She'd never seen him act like this. Brian, on the other hand, appeared unfazed and in control. He shoved Darren against the wall, pinning him there and after a few seconds he stopped struggling. Brian let go of him hesitantly and stood back. A tense silence hung between them. Darren looked down at the ground, ashamed,

"Is she ok?" he asked eventually, his voice breaking.

"What do you think?" Julia hissed.

Darren lifted his head and stared at her in desperation,

"Julia, I love her... Please, just give me a chance."

She stood with her arms crossed, appraising him. She was torn. A part of her wanted to shut the door in his face, yell the face off him and never let him near Lauren again; while the other half of her accepted that Lauren needed him right now. She needed to hear everything directly from Darren,

"Ok," she said coldly.

He looked up disbelievingly and she nodded, "she's in her room."

She stepped back. Without sparing them another glance, Darren was gone, taking the familiar route to the small bedroom at the end of the hall. Reaching Lauren's door, he stopped suddenly, consumed by fear. He pushed the door open tentatively and saw her small figure curled up on the bed, her back to him. Jaime was kneeling down on the floor beside her, talking in a soft hushed tone. She stopped as Darren stepped in and looked up. Lauren remained completely still.

Jaime stood and walked over towards him. She opened her mouth about to say something but closed it a second later. She gave him a pitying look and shrugged past him, closing the door on her way out. His throat had all of a sudden become extremely dry,

"Lo?" he croaked.

She didn't answer. Darren walked over and sat down facing her. He reached forward and took her icy hand, "Lauren, let me explain. It's not what you think."

Her eyes shifted into focus and he felt a lump form in his throat as he saw the distrust in her eyes,

"I was helping Devin catch up with the school work she missed. Afterwards ...Devin kissed me...and I guess, in the moment, I let her," he choked, edging closer to her and squeezing her limp hand, "it was a mistake and it meant nothing... nothing."

"Why didn't you just tell me at the bar?" Lauren whispered weakly.

"I was afraid. I can't lose you Lauren."

"I thought... I don't know," she mumbled.

"Lo, I promise you, it was a mistake."

A silent tear rolled down Lauren's cheek. Darren reached forward and wiped it away, his touch soft and tender,

"I thought you were different. I gave you my heart and convinced myself that you weren't like other guys… I thought you'd never hurt me."

"I thought I was protecting you."

"From what? Devin?" she asked, pulling her small hand out of his hold.

Darren sat back defeated and placed his head in his hands, "I was protecting you from this. I thought that keeping it from you would save you from getting hurt. It's not like the kiss meant anything, so I figured it was best if it was just forgotten about."

"You know it means something to Devin."

"I don't care about Devin! I care about you!" he said, slamming his fist against the wall, "Tell me how to fix this Lauren. What do I do?"

"...I don't know ...I think maybe...maybe we should take a break," she stuttered quietly.

Darren's head snapped up, "what? NO! Please Lo, we can get past this…"

"I need some time. Time to focus on school, on other things."

Darren was now on his feet, pacing back and forth frantically, running his hands through his dishevelled curls,

"No Lo, you can't give up on us. I made a mistake, I'm sorry... I'll do anything."

Lauren sat up slowly and hugged her knees to her chest,

"Darren stop, this is killing me! Do you think I've just stopped loving you? Do you think I want us to break up? Do you think I want any of this?" she cried.

"Then let's not break up," Darren reasoned, slumping down on the bed next to her.

"You don't understand!"

"I'm trying," he breathed, the exhaustion invading every inch of his body.

Lauren stayed silent for a minute before speaking, "There's stuff you don't know about. Stuff I tried to forget about when I came to college."

"What?"

"Nothing important," she sighed, glancing away nervously

"Don't push me away Lo."

"I need time," she said softly, standing up, "trust is a really big issue for me and I need to figure things out."

"So this is your solution?" Darren asked deflated, "why don't we start all over, take things one step at a time? Let me prove to you. "

Lauren's head began to shake from side to side, "stop making this harder than it already is."

Darren bowed his head in defeat, "I made a mistake. Don't do this. I can't live my life without you Lo."

Lauren's chocolate brown eyes glistened as the tears flowed down her face, "Darren stop…"

Darren stood and took a step towards her. She was wearing the blue hoodie that she'd been wearing the first time he'd ever met her and the memory of that day started playing over and over in his head.

"You still love me," he stated.

She didn't say anything but he knew her answer. Without warnig, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, his hands on her waist, pulling her towrads him and closing the gap between them. She pulled away after a few seconds, but it was enough to let him know,

"I think you should go," she whispered, extracting herself from his arms.

Darren nodded and reluctantly turned away.

"I'm not giving up on you," he said, reaching the bedroom door and looking back at her.

Lauren lowered herself down onto the floor, as the door clicked shut and hugged herself tightly. She waited for the tears to return, but all she felt was a numbness.

**:'( We'll have to see how things work out.**


	11. Chapter 11

**OMG** **I'm so so sorry for not updating in so long. I've started a new fic and it just took up my time. This chapter is really only a filler chapter and is a bit on the short side but I really wanted to get something u enjoy and please review**

His eyes followed her as she crossed the room and took a seat by the window. Her hair was different. It was shorter, falling just below her jaw line. Was it selfish to hope that she missed him as much as he missed her? Was it pitiful that she still consumed every inch of his heart?

She glanced over and for a moment their eyes met, telling the story of a relationship torn apart. They hadn't spoken in weeks yet each day he found himself searching for her face amongst everyone elses.

Darren became vaguely aware that the class had started, but he couldn't concentrate. Lauren had turned away but he knew that despite the fact that her eyes were on the professor, her mind too was elsewhere. He yearned to have her next to him and the vacant chair next to him only reminded him of what used to be.

He'd kept his distance, given her space, just like she'd asked because more than anything he just wanted her to be happy, but if this was happiness it was an allusion.

With about 5 minutes left in the class he saw her gather her stuff and get up to leave. Darren got up, abandoning his books and ran out after her. He pushed open the main door and squinted against the sun, looking around for her as he descended down the concrete steps, but she was nowhere in sight,

"Darren?"

He recognised Devin's voice and choosing to ignore it, leaned back against the wall. If it wasn't for her… things would be the way they were supposed to be.

"Darren, I'm sorry about you and Lauren," she whispered.

He laughed, "No you're not. This is exactly what you wanted. Happy now?" he responded bitterly starting to walk away.

"No. No Darren wait, "she insisted, grabbing his arm, "I was jealous and selfish and bitchy and I was horrible to Lauren but..."

"I've lost the best thing that ever happened to me," he said slowly, "you don't know what that feels like."

"Yes I do," she responded, "I know exactly what it feels like…I lost you."

"We didn't know what love was."

"I did. I loved you," Devin said softly, "the difference was, when we broke up there was only one broken heart."

Darren looked at her blankly and pulled his arm from her grasp, "If you want pity, you're not going to get it here."

Neither of them said anything. He knew he was being short with Devin but it seemed like a minor detail on the scale of things,

"She won't even talk to me," he sighed.

Devin bowed her head and bit her lip trying to think of something to say, "You can't make someone talk to you, but you can try to make them listen."

Darren looked up surprised but Devin had taken his silence as a cue to leave and was now walking away. He sighed and made his way back up the concrete steps. He needed to think and there was only one place he felt he could do that without the worry that someone would intrude.

He paused when he reached the door to the costumes room and frowned. It was slightly a jar and the light was on. He could hear humming and as he edged closer he was able to make out the familiar tune of "Good Ol' Moon."

"Lauren," he breathed, listening. Hesitantly he pushed the door in. She stopped and spun around. She swallowed and Darren saw her eyes begin to water. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. She moved to pass him but he stepped in front of her blocking her path. Without lifting her head to look him in the eye she spoke,

"Let me out Darren."

She sounded tired he noted. Darren ignored her request, "you cut your hair," he commented, his voice sounding gravely and choked up. Lauren turned away and buried her head in her hands, groaning audibly,

"Don't do this to me Darren, it's too hard."

"It doesn't have to be," he reasoned, "I miss you."

Lauren hugged her arms to her chest, "I miss you too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Darren took a step towards her and when she didn't move away, he cautiously put out his hand and moved her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She shivered slightly at his touch but Darren was certain he saw the corner of her mouth lift slightly,

"It's a shame to hide such a beautiful face," Darren mused. Lauren blushed before closing her eyes and shaking her head,

"No, no, no… don't do this, don't go and be all irresistible and charming and…you," she warned

Darren dropped his hand and stuffed his hand in his pocket, "you're right, I shouldn't do that… it's just difficult."

"I know what you mean," she sighed, sitting down and crossing her legs, "but I'm not ready for a relationship at the moment… with anyone," she clarified, picking at the feathers on a bright pink boa that was lying on the floor.

"Ok, I get that," Darren established, "but can we maybe be friends?"

"I thought at first that by ignoring you and pretending that you weren't there that it would help me forget, but it just made everything worse. It's like your absence was an even stronger reminder of you. That's why I didn't talk to you," Lauren said quietly

Darren crouched down in front of her and wiped a stray tear that had escaped, "I want to be there for you. I promise I won't pressure you into anything, all I ask is that you will let me back into your life in some small way."

Lauren tilted her head and smiled, "I never really let you go."

Darren exhaled and leaned forward, pulling her into a hug, catching Lauren by surprise. However Darren felt his heart swell as he felt her slowly return the hug and rest her head on his shoulder. It felt good to hold her again, but there was something that was still bothering him. She had said something to him a few weeks ago about something that had happened her before she'd come to college that had hurt her. The look she'd had as she'd said it had scared him and he made a mental note to ask her about it later on. For the time being though, he just wanted to build back up the trust he'd slashed and prove to her how much he cared.

**x x x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here it is chapter 12! Thank you all for sticking with this story, I hope you're still enjoying it. Please leave a review if you can x x x**

* * *

**Text from Darren:** _ I'm outside your door. Lemme in x_

Lauren quickly read the text and ran to unlock the apartment door, turning off the radio on her way. Darren's beaming face dropped as he saw her guiltily biting her lip,

"What happened?" he moaned, sensing a disappointment.

"Dar, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to bail on tonight," she apologised, "I still have so much packing to do. I know I said I'd come out for a drink with everyone... but it turns out I've a lot of crap."

Darren looked over her shoulder and smirked. True to her word the apartment was in chaos and Darren released a low whistle as he remembered Julia texting him to make sure Lauren didn't leave her end of year packing until the last minute. Looked as though he'd overlooked that warning. Julia had had to leave a few days earlier due to a family occasion and she had clearly foreseen the disorganised mess that would become their apartment in her absence. Clothes were strewn everywhere, suitcases and boxes cluttered the floor and personal items had just been bundled into haphazard piles here and there. He grinned, noticing a purple lace bra that was hanging from a door knob and picked it up,

"I can see your dilemma."

Lauren's cheeks flared red as she grabbed the bra from him, flinging it into the nearest open suitcase,

"Okay, so I'm a little behind schedule," she snapped, "Ugh, I hate packing. Why can't I just live here for the summer?"

She brushed a stray hair out of her face and sighed. Darren spread his arms out and pulled her into a hug, smiling as he felt her cuddle into his chest, her head only barely reaching his chin,

"How about I stay and give you a hand?"

Lauren shook her head and mumbled into his shirt,

"But, you'll miss the night out with the guys? I can manage…"

"Ssshhh. No, you look exhausted and I'd rather spend my last night as a freshman with the most important thing this year has given me."

Lauren pulled back and smiled, her eyes watering with gratitude. She laughed and bowed her head dabbing her eyes dry,

"Sorry, the tiredness is making me all emotional."

Darren nodded and grabbed an empty box,

"I am at your service," he said bowing dramatically, sending Lauren into a fit of silent giggles before closing the door and leading him into her personal Aladdin's cave.

* * *

"Okay, shift your weight to the left a little. Ya, okay … got it," Lauren panted, pulling the zip closed and examining the clearly over-packed suitcase on which Darren was sitting.

He stood up and looked around at the now seemingly sparse apartment. Everything had been packed away. Lauren looked around sadly, feeling the overwhelming nostalgia of it all. She'd missed her roommate's presence over the last few days. It had been so quiet, and with everyone else packing and heading home, the majority of her friends had been too busy trying to sort out their own end of year departures to be able to hang out. She turned to Darren,

"Thanks for staying tonight, I don't think I would have managed without you," Lauren admitted flopping down on the sofa and curling her legs up beneath her. Darren joined her and relaxed as she immediately snuggled in under his arm. They'd started to get closer again over recent weeks and despite the fact that Darren knew it was purely platonic, he was hopeful that over time she would let him be more than that again,

"Lo…. I'm sorry for all the shit I put you through this year. It pains me to know that I hurt you."

Lauren stayed silent as Darren searched for words to say,

"You didn't deserve that. I'm just grateful that I didn't lose you completely because those weeks… without you… were the darkest weeks of my life and…"

Lauren sat up,

"Let's not talk about this Darren," she said pleadingly, "I think it's better we just forget they ever happened."

Darren nodded although he knew the emotional strain of being separated from Lauren would forever be imprinted on his heart. He jumped up suddenly, determined to lighten the gloomy mood,

"Wait here," he said, rushing out and returning a moment later with a bottle of wine and two glasses, "It's only fair we should celebrate the end of our first year of college in an appropriate fashion."

He set the glasses down and poured out the deep red liquid before holding a glass out to Lauren. She looked at it dubiously for a moment, reminded of her body's low alcohol tolerance. However after glancing up at Darren and seeing him pouting at her possible refusal, she succumbed and accepted the glass,

"Where'd you find this?" she asked, taking a sip.

"It was at the back of one of the cupboards. I was looking for a beer but you had none so I decided we might as well go classy."

Lauren shrugged and looked up, eyes sparkling, "hey, let's put on a movie."

She walked over to one of the nearest boxes and pulled out a few covers, shaking her head as she went through them,

"Sappy…. Boring… Too long…"

Darren rolled his eyes. She was the fussiest person when it came to movies. He looked over, hearing her pause and noticed she was holding the special edition DVD of Beauty and the Beast that he'd given her for Christmas. She seemed to be thinking as she held it in her hand and Darren felt his heart drop a little when he saw her add it to the rejected pile without commenting,

"Ugh, Julia took all the good ones," she groaned, returning to his side and sitting down.

"Why don't we just chat?" Darren smiled, reaching forward and grabbing a blanket to wrap around the two of them."

"Ya, that sounds good," she yawned, cradling the wine glass with both hands.

"I wish we could go back and do it all again," she said quietly, "It went by so quickly."

"Am Lo, we do get to do it all again, for another three years," Darren laughed

"Well ya… I guess," she admitted.

They spent the next few hours giggling like little kids and talking and it wasn't until Darren noticed Lauren's words starting to slur together that he realised how late it was and more importantly, how much wine they'd managed to get through. He downed the rest of his own glass and carefully prised Lauren's glass from her hand as she leaned against him sleepily. Adjusting her weight in his arms he stood up, holding her to his chest and carried her into her room. As he went to put her down on the bed she grabbed the front of his shirt giving him no other option put to allow himself be pulled down with her,

"Lo, it's time to sleep," he spoke softly, wrapping his fingers around her closed fist.

"Stay here tonight," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open, "I don't want to be here alone."

"Okay, I'll camp out on the couch so if you need me I'll be just out there. Okay?"

"No, sleep here, with me," she insisted, rolling over and making space for him.

Darren hesitated. He didn't want to cross any lines, especially considering they were still rebuilding a very fragile relationship. It was hard to tell if she was speaking as sober Lauren or drunk Lauren. Her voice sounded so certain and sincere but the empty wine bottle told a different story,

"Please Darren. Just sleep, nothing more," she clarified, now looking entirely focused.

Slowly he found himself climbing in, cautious not to invade her personal space. However as soon as he was lying down he felt her shuffle closer to him. It felt right to be back lying by her side. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her,

"Goodnight Lo," he whispered into the darkness

"Night Dar," she replied sleepily, "love you."

It took him a minute to register what she'd said before he found himself able to form a coherent reply. He felt his heart stutter but managed to keep his voice perfectly steady as he whispered the words, a smile lingering on his face as his eyes closed,

"Love you too Lo."

* * *

_Hope you liked. PLease review :)_


End file.
